Retningslinjer for utdanningsfaglig kompetanse - Ansatt

Guidelines - educational competence

Guidelines - educational competence

Guidelines for the assessment of educational competence at OsloMet

1. Criteria and documentation requirements

The Regulations concerning Appointment and Promotion to Teaching and Research Posts set out educational competence requirements for appointment and promotion to associate professor and professor positions, and all educational institutions are expected to prepare more detailed criteria for the educational competence of employees and how this competence shall be documented. The requirements that apply to the individual position categories are given in sections 2 and 3. The criteria in section 1 provide guidelines on how to assess to what extent a candidate meets the requirements stipulated in sections 2 and 3.

This document stipulates guidelines for the assessment of educational competence at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

1.1. Main criteria for assessing educational competence

On appointment, applicants must document their experience and qualifications in planning, executing, evaluating and developing teaching and supervision activities at university and university college level.

OsloMet assesses educational qualifications on the basis of the following four main criteria:

1.     Focus on the students’ learning
2.     Clear development over time
3.     An inquisitive and scientific approach
4.     Attitudes and practice that make the candidate a good colleague and that help to develop the institution

The criteria and documentation requirements established through the merit scheme for teaching staff at OsloMet provide a broader and more precise presentation of what the concept of 'educational competence' entails (https://ansatt.oslomet.no/merittering-av-undervisere). 

An expert committee will conduct an overall assessment of which applicants are deemed qualified for the position in accordance with the job description. The whole range of qualifications is considered and explicitly assessed in this process. Unless otherwise specified, greater weight shall be placed on scientific qualifications than on other qualifications. Educational qualifications will be given more weight than qualifications in the areas of research dissemination, administration and management, unless otherwise stated in the advertisement text. Applicants for associate professor positions shall be assessed on whether they meet the requirements for basic educational competence at university level, but this will not have any bearing on whether they are deemed to be formally qualified, since the person appointed must meet the basic educational competence requirement within two years, cf. section 2.1.

1.2. Teaching portfolio

Educational competence can be documented by means of a teaching portfolio comprising two parts: (1) a profiling document and (2) a set of enclosures comprising concrete documentation of the content of the profiling document.

The profiling document must contain a CV of educational qualifications and a presentation that discusses the applicant's development of educational competence.

The CV should provide a brief description of the applicant and the applicant's career as a teacher/supervisor in higher education. The CV should only include elements that are relevant to teaching and supervision work.

The profiling document should also discuss the applicant’s teaching and supervision experience and systematic quality development work in relation to their own teaching or that of the teaching staff as a whole (see section 4.0 for further examples). The profiling document should be based on the key criteria for the assessment of educational competence. The document should not be too extensive. As a rule, it should be 3–6 pages long. If a different scope is specified in the job advertisement, that requirement will apply.

2. Appointment and promotion to associate professor positions

2.1 Educational competence requirements

Competence requirements for appointments to positions as associate professor are found in Section 1-4 of the Regulations for Appointment and Promotion to Teaching and Research Posts. At OsloMet, the requirement of basic competence in teaching and supervision at university and university college level is specified to mean that the following must be documented on the basis of own teaching/supervision and completed university pedagogy education:

  • Basic skills in planning, executing, evaluating and developing teaching and supervision activities
  • The ability to reflect on their own role and discuss and give grounds for their choices in the planning, execution and development of teaching and supervision activities

The requirement set out in the Regulations means that the competence requirement can be attained either by the applicant completing a dedicated programme with a minimum scope of 200 hours or by documenting such competence through a combination of relevant courses and own teaching experience that is considered equivalent to a 200-hour programme.

If the applicant is unable to document such competence on appointment, he or she must complete a course and achieve basic university teaching qualifications within two years of appointment. The same requirement must be applied to candidates who are promoted to associate professor on the basis of an awarded doctoral degree in accordance with Section 2-4(8) of the Regulations.

In addition to documentation of university pedagogy qualifications, the candidate can present documentation of other educational competence (see section 4.0 for examples of documentation).

3. Appointment and promotion to professor positions

3.1  Educational competence requirements

Competence requirements for appointment to professor positions are found in Section 1-2 of the Regulations for Appointment and Promotion to Teaching and Research Posts. The Regulations set out three requirements in addition to the requirements for associate professor positions:

1.     Quality development in own teaching and supervision over time
2.     Broad experience of supervision preferably at master’s degree/PhD level
3.     Participation in the development of quality of education in the academic community

At OsloMet, the requirements are specified to mean that the following must be documented:

  • Sound qualifications and experience in planning, execution and evaluation of teaching activities
  • Significant contributions to systematic development work related to teaching and supervision
  • A minimum requirement for supervision experience will be set by each faculty based on its academic traditions, the size of the subject and availability of candidates, and national standards
  • Efforts and cooperation in their own academic environment related to work on quality of education

When weighty reasons so indicate, an applicant who is unable to document basic competence in teaching and supervision at university and university college level can nonetheless be appointed on condition that they document such competence within two years of their appointment.

4. Examples of documentation of educational competence

The assessment of whether the requirements in section 3.1 are met must be based on documentation in the form of a teaching portfolio, which is related to the criteria for educational competence. Such documentation can include the following elements (see link to the merit scheme in section 1.1):

  • A CV in which the applicant describes their career as a teacher and supervisor in higher education, including seniority and at which levels they have taught and supervised
  • Teaching experience: which methods of teaching and supervision, e.g. student-active and digital teaching methods, the applicant has employed. Experiences of these methods and development over time
  • Experience of and motivation for work on course and programme descriptions, and cooperation with colleagues and students on developing the quality of education over time
  •  Work on the development of assessment and forms of assessment
  • Use of student evaluations and systematic work on student feedback for the purpose of further developing teaching
  • Educational development work, including the development of teaching materials
  • Publications that document the development of quality of education and cooperation with colleagues on the development of quality of education

Approved April 2020.